a certain

phrase

1

—used to refer to a quality that is noticed but that is difficult to explain or describe

She has a certain elegance about her.

The house has a certain charm.

2

formal

—used with the name of a person one does not know

In 1889, a certain Mr. Kelly made a large donation to the church.

Examples of a certain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sorting results into normal and abnormal categories has a certain appeal. — Amiran Baduashvili, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

In the nineties, Lee fought to enforce a law that required Korean theatres to show domestic movies for a certain portion of the year. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

But still, from a certain angle and in a certain light, Larry could squint his way into seeing this new gig at SNL as a second chance at something. — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026

Elko, however, doesn't seem too concerned about his team's fan base, or at least a certain section of it. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for a certain

• uncertain
• bertin
• curtain